I won't stall you any longer so my comments are at the end for this chapter. I didn't re-read this before posting it so if you find off/odd, please point it out so that I can edit it.

Thanks for the reviews~

PokeTrainer - Thanks! I hope you'll stick with me and continue to review~ X3 This chapter may seem a little stalling but the pace and plot should pick up by the next chapter.

Ultimate Black Ace - When I read your comment - 'So, seems that Light Fang is the one to get the D word. In a way that's bad for Night Crow, they won't regain access to their Access Zone and first shopping zone for quite a bit.' and 'That can justify putting him out of focus for the next segment of the story' - I went, Ho damn... because that totally clashed with what I wanted to happen in this chapter. But think I managed to pull it off. X3 I probably left who ordered the D words unclear on purpose. But its just a 'I think' thing. It been too long since that chapter so I forgot :p
For the plot, it won't be made clear in this chapter but I (hopefully) should be clear in the next chap. Looking forward to your reviews as always :)

Here's a list of Digimons each Protagonist has and have been revealed in the past chapters. (Not including any changes in this Chapter)

Shade's Digimon
-Lekismon (Diana)
-Ogremon (Kageru)
-Palmon (Alora)
-Aquilamon ( - )
-Kyubimon (Yang)
- ?

Kou's Digimon
-Firamon (Nova)
-Reppamon (Ciel)
-Sunflomon (Haru)
-Black KnightChessmon (Titania)
-Seadramon (Soul)
-Akatorimon (Aegis)

Enjoy~ :)


Chapter 8 - Confusion

SunshineCITY,

Normal POV

Since Kou's visit to Loop Swamp, a few days have passed before his fever finally dropped to a bearable temperature. He still has a minor fever but it's way better than the continuous nights of sweating and tossing in his bed. To top things off, he was bedridden as well. His friends, Pulsa and Komachi, have been visiting him to share stories of their adventures and keep him up to date with whats' happening whenever they were free while Flo, their Tamer Home's NaviDigimon attended to his sickness. Thanks to them, he's finally well enough to get up. Kou was strictly told to take it easy today which meant staying indoors. He got up to stretch his stiff and aching body and heard his joints crack. To his dismay, he could really use some exercise. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as he walked around the CITY to stretch his legs. Nighttime signaled the end of the day and Kou took what would be his last time of medication. The drowsiness kicked in and he was out like a light.

In the wee hours of the morning, Kou got woken up by the sound of a panicked yet hushed voice. Words were exchange but he couldn't make out what. Soon afterwards he heard someone scrambling about with loud and fast footsteps. He got up and opened his door to see a figure disappearing on the TPGate. Out of curiosity and alarm of an intruder, he followed in pursuit. His vision blurred as he felt his body get lighter when he teleported. His feet met the ground again seconds later and his surrounding sharpened only to spot Flo running from where he was. Kou's body relaxed because the 'intruder' just turned out to be Flo. He was about to return to his room when he noticed the commotion before him. His eyes widened tremendously in horror at the sight.

"Bring them over here!"

"Get the injured to the infirmary!"

"Be careful!"

Around ten of his fellow Tamers were being carried towards the infirmary. Their bodies were roughed up and their clothes were nicked at places. All of them were either injured, exhausted or both. 'W-Wha... What happened here?!', Kou was at loss. Someone wearing a uniform resembling that of a Union Communication Staff rushed to the scene. He spoke with whoever was in-charge of the commotion. Kou only managed to pick the middle of the conversation but that was more than enough.

"What's happening here?"

"We've received reports that our Tamers were attacked by the Night Crow."

"Are you certain?" He nodded.

"What were our Tamers doing out this late?"

"There was an earlier report on the Night Crow's strange activity in Resistor Jungle so Chief Glare sent out a small group of Tamers to patrol the area."

"Are there still others outside?"

"We aren't sure yet."

Upon hearing the dreadful news, Kou returned to his room to grab his Digivice and made a dash for the TPGate that led outside of the CITY. He didn't care if he was still in his pajamas. His mind kicked into high gear and he totally forgot about just recovering from his illness. All he wanted, were answers. No one noticed Kou as he slipped pass everybody to the TPGate. They were all busy giving aid to the others which was good for him. He wasn't going to let anyone stop him from heading out.

'No matter how fierce our rivalry is, there isn't a reason to go this far. Why would the Night Crow do something like this?', he clenched his fist, '...and her... Shade wouldn't do something like this, right?' Kou wanted to believe this was all just a big misunderstanding but everything he's heard is pointing otherwise. His surroundings warped into one of a jungle and he sprinted through the place.

Meanwhile at Resistor Jungle...

Shade's POV

I slowly walked to my designated location. Each step felt heavy along with the rest of my body. I still can't wrap my head around it. According to the reports, the Light Fang suddenly started attacking us in the afternoon. But strangely enough, all the attacks took place in Resistor of that, Tamers have been deployed to patrol in shifts to look out for any Light Fang activities within the area. My gaze dropped to the ground as I pondered about the situation. I didn't think they'd do something like this. Some fellow Tamers returned to the CITY with a few minor injuries while others were in a worser state. I let out a small sigh and looked up in time to see my destination in the distance. There wasn't anybody in sight when I arrived but that's normal. I mean afterall, we are supposed to remain hidden as much as possible.

"It's time to change shifts." I yelled out to no one in particular. At first only the silence replied me but soon afterwards, the bushes to my right rustled and a figure emerged from the shadows of the tree she was hiding in.

"Thanks for the notice!" She grinned at me and pat my shoulder, "Good luck and don't let your guard down now alright?" I nodded and smiled back as she winked at me before heading back to the CITY with a yawn. Alright, time to blend in. I climbed up the big tree to my left and prodded myself on one of it's middle branches. My location was fully concealed by the tree's dense leaves with a gap big enough to have full view of one wide section of the path. But this was only from my angle. From the outside, they would only see layers of leaves and shadows. The cooling night winds caressed my skin as my hair softly swayed and the leaves rustled. I gazed up at the crescent moon past several leaves.

Alert sounded in my mind as my ears picked up movement approaching. My head and eyes snapped in it's direction. The sound got closer and clearer until a figure came into sight. My eyes widened and my body froze. The moonlight shone down on his figure making his messy bright orange hair glow brighter like flames. Kou...my gaze fell. He's actually the last person I wanted to see out here. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and watched as he looked around.

"Oi Night Crow, I know you're around here somewhere so stop being cowards and come out! You can't keep hiding forever after attacking the Light Fang!" Us attack the Light Fang? What is he talking about. Isn't it them who attacked us? I heard him groan in frustration and watched as he slowly started walking further down the path. Should I show myself to him? Our instructions were not to get spotted as much as we can help it but there's something really odd here. If I jump down, I might get some answers but if he's like those in the reports... I shook my head and noticed that he was already a distance away from me. On impulse, I leapt off my branch and called out to him. At first I thought that was too far to hear me when he didn't respond. That is, until he stopped.


Kou's POV

I was going to try my luck deeper in the Jungle to find some answers when I thought I heard someone call my name from behind. My feet unconsciously stopped walking. I hesitantly and slowly turned around to what seemed to be the source of the sound. There standing directly infront of me was a familiar purple haired girl. My body started moving on its own towards the girl till I was a couple of feet away from her. Now that I was closer to her, I could tell who she was. We simply stood there and stared at each other's face in silence. The moonlight gave her fair skin a faint glowing effect and caused her purple eyes to glisten. I found my eyes drawn to her deep purple eyes. Those same eyes that held a tinge of sadness within them. But for what?

"Shade...", I uttered softly but loud enough for her to notice. Upon hearing her name, she broke eye contact with me and stared off to the side.

"Shade," I called out to her again in mild desperation, "Tell me...please. Why did Night Crow attack Light Fang?" She continued to stare at the ground a little longer before she gazed up at me.

"Wasn't it the Light Fang who attacked Night Crow?" She sort of questioned in a stating manner and my eyes widened at her accusation.

"What are you saying?" I clasped her shoulders and half-shouted, "Some Light Fang Tamers were injured because your side attacked mine."

"The same thing happened on my side!" I was taken back when she croaked loudly. "O-Our scouts reported that they had seen some Tamers on your side start attacking us." I was taken back for the second time now. We started this mess? I found myself walking backwards and turning until my back came into contact with a tree trunk. My body rested against it as I slid down to the ground. I didn't know what to think anymore. Ugh I could even feel a headache brewing... The silence between us was broken when Shade sat beside me.

"Kou, tell me what happened on your side."

"Huh? What for?"

"Everything's all so mixed up right now. I just want to find out what really happened." I found myself staring at her although I didn't know why. She noticed this and fidgeted.

"W-What is it?" She stuttered and a lightbulb flashed in my head. That's it!

"You're not stuttering so much now."

"Ah well...that's because..." Her face started to redden slightly. "t-that's because we're friends, right?" She said it kind of unconfidently. "Y-You said that I didn't need to be so nervous around you so I was trying and..." she trailed of to some inaudible mumbling. I couldn't help but smile at her fumbling. It's cute when she does that.

"From what I know, the Night Crow probably sees us as the enemy now. Some of us even think that you guys are the ones who destroyed the CITY." She lets out a long sigh.

"Actually, we're thinking of the same things."

"So that means..." She nodded. What ever's happening isn't good. We were interrupted by shuffling sounds down the path. We stood up in attention. My eyes widened in disbelief when Pulsa's figure came into the light. Blood was trickling down his arm and he was minorly beat up in a few places. I rushed to him and lent him my support. My mind was in shock and I could feel confusion slowly clouding my mind. According to Shade, the Night Crow isn't our enemy but his best friend got injured because of them. They were only supposed to be on patrol as scouts and yet this happened. As much as I didn't want to agree with it, a plausible fact crept into my mind. Could she have been lieing the whole time?

Out of nowhere, I felt something pulse deep within me. 'Tap into the anger within, and unleash your true feelings.' My mind blanked out under those words. Anger rapidly rose within me and took over my body. Anger from my friends getting hurt by them. Anger from her lies. But most of all, anger from my betrayed trust.

"Go."

"Kou?"

"I'll take care of the Night Crow so just return to the CITY." He nodded.

"Alright, don't let your guard down." I didn't turn around to acknowledge his words but I knew he'd left. I don't know where this intense feeling came from but one thing was made clear. I must teach all who dare hurt those I care for a lesson. I must punish the Night Crow.


Normal POV

After Pulsa left the scene, Shade stepped out of the tree she re-hid herself behind. She took small steps towards Kou, unsure of what to say to him.

"Kou?" Her soft voice reached out to him but the said person just stood there motionlessly. "Ko-"

"Oh just shut up already. You're annoying." Needless to say, Shade was taken back and shocked at his words. "I should have known from the start. All that talk about being innocent? It was all an act. You lied to me!"

"Kou that's not-!"

"Enough! I've had enough of your lies." ,he spat with much distaste. "Nova," His Firamon materialised before him, "Fira Bomb." A flaming ball of fire was shot from Nova's forehead. It exploded near Shade's feet and the ground shook.

"Kyaaa!"

"Nova."

"D-Diana!" Another shot of fire was immediately launched and she braced for impact. Flames and smoke engulfed her as it exploded. When things seemed like it was over, the flames started to sway before they were forcefully blown away to reveal Shade and her Lekismon, Diana standing.

"Tch." Kou was disappointed at the sight. It was made painfully clear that this match will only have two outcomes. To win or to lose. Having no choice, she began her assault.

"Diana, Tear Arrow!" She drew several ice arrows from her back and fired them simultaneously. Fira side-stepped and whacked a few arrows away with his paws but each dodge became narrower and closer to his chargin.

"Nova, take flight!" The flying lion Digimon abandoned his attempts at dodging and ran to the side. Using his wings, he took to the skies as soon as he got the chance. In the air, Fira managed to dodge the oncoming attacks with much more ease and retaliated with a barrage of flaming fireballs. Flames exploded and scorched the ground while Lekismon took advantage of her agility to evade every shot. The exchange of fireballs and ice arrows continued for who knows how long but to no avail. It was getting relentless.

With a command from Shade, Diana leapt high into the sky and used her Moon Night Kick. She rocketed upwards at an unbelievable speed and managed to nick her opponent. Unfortunately for her, her airborne opponent used this opportunity to smack Diana out of the sky using his Fira Claw. Unable to dodge, she plummeted towards the ground. Just before she was about to crash, Diana did a quick flip and safely landed on her feet.

"Is this all you've got?" Kou shook his head in disappointment and continued monotonously, "I thought you were strong but looks like I was deceived from our very first meeting. You only won by luck. Nothing else." Hurt was definitely visible in Shade's eyes. Pushing the mash of emotions she felt aside for now, she began her next attack. The both of them watched as Lekismon once again leapt towards Fira.

"Again? How boring..."

"Again? I wouldn't be too sure about that." This time, Diana didn't hit her opponent. Missed? Not exactly. Once Diana flew pass him, Shade shouted the command. "Moon Night Bomb!" From Diana's position several inches above her target, she effortlessly spun around and a glowing white ball of froth was slammed down onto his body. Fira's flight instantly broke and he crashed into the ground.

"Nova, get up! We're not done yet!" Fira shook off whatever dirt was on him and returned to Kou's side as Diana did the same. Signs of slight fatigue were present on both sides. Both Tamers decided to end the battle there and then. Kou and Shade shouted in unison.

"Flame Dive!/Moon Night Bomb!" Fira hovered above the ground with his wings and his body engulfed in flame while Diana conjured Moon Night Bombs in both her charged at each other and on contact, orange clashed against vibrated through the air and an explosion occurred that sent both Digimons flying to the feedback from the force of the explosion and their continuous fighting, Diana and Fira became to tired to continue, thus automatically resulting in a draw. Kou's vision blurred a little and his body wobbled.

"A...draw? No it can't end like this. I still...haven't..." Before he could finish the sentence, everything before him went black. Shade was checking up on her Digimon when she heard a 'thump'. She turned to see Kou laying face first into the ground. Shade calls out to him from afar with caution at first but when there was no response, she slowly inched closer with Diana to notice that he was unconscious. Fira had unsteadily made it to his Tamer's side as well and eyed Shade's every action warily. Beads of sweat and Kou's frequent irregular breathing were immediately noticed. She knelt down and placed her hand onto his forehead only to recoil almost immediately. He's badly burning up. Shade froze in thought and anyone could see the dilemma in her eyes. Her heart was conflicting with her mind. To help the boy who attacked her in rage or to turn her back on her enemy. Both her heart and mind hurt mentally. She wasn't sure what to do. Out of the corner of her eyes, Shade watched as Kou's Digmon kept nudging him with his nose. Seeing the concern and worry the Digimon had for his Tamer, she couldn't bare it any longer and threw her rationality out of the window. Shade slung Kou's limp arm around her neck and hefted his heavy body off the ground with much difficulty. Fira panicked at the sight of this.

"What are trying to do!" Shade replied through her gritted teeth as she tried to balance his body on hers.

"He's having a high fever. I can't *huff* leave him here."

"So it came back..." Fira had unconsciously mumbled out his thoughts which Shade heard with slight shock and something clicked in her mind. She was coping better with the weight thanks to Diana who was on his other side. Fira quickly snapped out of his thoughts to the reality that Kou was being dragged somewhere by a Night Crow and growled. "Anyway, why would you care?!" Shade paused and fell silent.

"I...don't know." There were many possible reasons flying through her mind but she didn't know how to put them into the right words.

"Where are you taking him." Though Fira didn't shout this time, the tension never left his voice. Small flickers of flame licked his body as if in warning.

"...I'm...sending him back." Was she sure about this? If she brought Kou back to Night DarkmoonCITY, they could get answers. But somewhere deep within her, she didn't want to do it. She didn't want bring him back home to be something like a prisoner. She didn't want to...betray him. Was betray the right word to use? She didn't know. Fira was also thinking deeply about this, trying to sift out the truth from the lies. Sure he noticed the uncertainty in her last statement but he hadn't really a choice to begin with. His Tamer badly needed medical attention be it on their side or the enemy's.

"Put him on my back."

"Huh?" Shade was caught off guard by his sudden change.

"I'm saying that I'll carry him." Shade nodded to Diana and they carefully placed Kou on his back. Truth be told, they wouldn't be able to drag him anywhere fast enough. So this is the best option.

"So where to?"

"I'll lead the way." If Shade wasn't wrong, there was one place up ahead that isn't under watch by any Night Crow. It was near the middle of the forest. She could only hope that the Light Fang weren't there either. They walked in painful silence with Shade leading the front followed by Diana and Fira. Diana's sensitive ears kept twitching for any sounds of movement other than theirs.

"So why did you change your mind?" Shade addressed Fira without turning her head. He didn't reply so she tried rephrasing her question, "Why did you believe what I said?"

"It's was a very big risk but it's was better than nothing. Kou needed to see a doctor from somewhere whether I liked it or not." It was a blunt answer but Shade wouldn't have it any other way.

"..."

"..."

"Was Kou sick before he came here? I heard you saying something came back." There was a pause but a reply came nonetheless.

"He had a high fever days agos. He was almost fully recovered but it came back after the battle. He probably overexerted himself." Shade's guess hit the mark and it also answered why he was in his pajamas. They continued walking the rest of the way in silence. Before long, the TPGate came into sight. Standing in front of the gate, she took Kou's Digivice and started browsing through it. She double checked that the location of teleportation on his Digivice was set to SunshineCITY before returning it to him. It's just how the TPGate works. It would link you to any destination set on your Digivice. It's an automatic feature between the CITY and the place you want to go, after you set it.

"Alright, your good to go." She chimed. She kept her word up to this point and it sparked a tiny sense of belief within him. Fira paused and turned to Shade.

"Hey kid. What's your name?" She decided there was no harm in telling him.

"Shade." Fira smirked.

"Heh. You're not bad kiddo." He stepped onto the TPGate and within seconds, their body glowed. Right before their body disappeared into fragments of light, Fira said one last thing. "Thanks for the help kid." Shade smiled as their bodies teleported away and stepped away from the TPGate. 'Well, that's one issue settled. I'd better return to my post before anyone notices I'm gone.', she thought and left the area.

A figure watched from the shadows as Shade was returning to her post. 'Hmn so in the end it just ended in a draw. How boring... Still, it was fun to see the brat try and destroy the kid. Kyrehehehe it's a wonder what a simple touch of wrath can do to the confused boy.' The figure continued to snicker away until a feminine figure appeared behind him.

"So this is where you've been. What are you doing here?"

"Kyrehehe why does it matter to you? I'm just having some harmless fun~" She chuckled knowing how 'harmless' it was to his victims but she didn't care. None of them did. The lesser people in the way, the smoother things will be for them.

"I hope you've had enough fun because we have preparations to carry out."

"I hear ya'." The figures faded into the darkness to where ever they came from.

Back at the entrance of SunshineCITY, two figures materialised above the TPGate. The flying lion Digimon took a quick glance at the familiar surrounding and smiled in relief. They're back home. He heard footsteps approaching and saw two small figure in the distance. He quickly returned into Kou's Digivice and heard them talking from inside.

"What's Kou doing here?"

"I don't know but he's burning up! We have to bring him to the infirmary quick!" This was followed by the sound of ruffling and scurrying feet. Now that his Tamer was definitely safe, Fira tiredly dozed off.


SunshineCITY,

Kou's POV

I felt something damp being removed from my forehead and something cool and wet was placed in it place. My eyes slowly opened and squinted to a brown wooden ceiling. Where am I? I turned my head and looked around. I'm in my room. How did I get here? A feminine voice caught my attention.

"How are you feeling?" I turned to see Komachi sitting beside me.

"Fine I guess." She let out a sigh.

"That's a relief. We were worried sick you know!" I managed a small smile.

"I'm sorry." She leaned back into her chair.

"What were you trying to do last night?"

"Last night? What do you mean?"

"I mean, me and another Tamer found you at the CITY entrance unconscious last night with your DigiVice. You were even burning up." Ah that's right. I met Shade last night and we sort of exchanged some information. I remember seeing Pulsa being injured but I can't recall what happened afterwards.

"I can't remember. Maybe I was just sleep walking." I lied. I couldn't say anything yet. Not until my mind thinks straight.

"Seriously? That's so lame you know. I never thought your dream could affect your sleep so much."

"Harhar just laugh already."

"It's too lame to even laugh at." We stared then chuckled.

"Ah that's right I think you should know that Pulsa got injured during his patrol last night. But don't worry, he's doing perfectly fine in the infirmary."

"I see, that's a relief." Good to know Pulsa managed to make it back.

"Yup but rather then getting worried about others' wellbeing, hurry up and recover already. You've been sick for at least a week."

"Yes ma'am~" I teased. She left out another sigh and mumbled something about me being an idiot. I was too sick to frown at it.

"Make sure to rest alright. I'll be back check up on you later." She turned to leave and when she was at the door, I thanked her.

"Thanks Komachi."

"What are friends for?" She closed the door and I waited until I was sure that Komachi had left and there, as far as I could tell, wasn't anyone else nearby. I grabbed my DigiVice on the table adjacent to my bed and held it infront of me.

"How did I get back here?"

"Do you really want to know~?" Nova. I can never mistake his voice.

"Just answer the question." I was too tired to entertain him.

"Fine. The Night Crow girl you lashed out at brought you back."

"WAIT WHAT?!" My body instantly swung upright and got a massive headache in return.

"Woah easy there hotshot. If you get any sicker, I'll rot in here. I want to feel the sunshine too you know?!"

"Alright alright I'm sorry okay?" Why am I even apologising? I propped up my pillow and leaned against it in hopes of easing the pain. "What happened last night? You said I lashed out at Shade but I don't remember doing anything like that."

"How should I know what you were thinking. All I know was that you saw your friend injured then you went on some kind of rage. You wouldn't even listen to the poor kiddo's words. Me and her Lekismon had to duke it out because of it. Though I didn't mind too much."

"...what happened afterwards?"

"We drawed and before we knew it, you collapsed on us. According to kiddo, your fever came back and you were out like a light. She said she couldn't just leave you there so she tried hulling your body over to the nearest unguarded TPGate. That didn't work out though, I had to carry you on my back the entire way." I let out a sound that sounded like a mix between a sigh and 'ugh'. My body slumped and my head felt heavy not only from my fever but from what apparently took place.

"Hey, you seriously don't remember anything do you. You alright?"

"I don't know. I just have so many unanswered questions." Why can't I remember anything? What was the real reason I lashed out at her? What's with the contradicting information we exchanged? Was Shade or rather the Night Crow really not our enemies? I had many more at the back of my head but I didn't know where to start searching for answers. If only there was somewhere I could check. Several places came and left within my head and it slowly went somewhere I didn't like. It's the most likely place I'll ever find any answers in but the problems lies with where it actually was. I sighed and zoned out. The best place to look for answers? ...The Union Room.


Annnd CUT! Hey guys, I LIVE! XD

I know that I said/hinted that I wanted to focus more on Shade but I decided to but a mix of POVs. One reason why I'm late with the update is because I got lazy to draft out the fight scene XP Don't get me wrong though! I probably finished roughly 1/4 - 1/3 of the chapter in a few days.

I think that this Chapter focused more on Kou's and Shade's interaction while revealing a little more of the 'figures'. Don't worry though, the pace and the plot (at least one of them) will pick up by the chapter. I'd like your thoughts on this chapter because I'm not too confident about this one for reasons I can't seem to pinpoint :/

- Leave A Review, Thanks~ :) -